TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Video Music Awards," 9 p.m., MTV. This show thrives by mixing and matching top performers — and includes a "surprise" performance by Britney Spears. It's been keeping this year's pairings secret. Other performers, however, are expected to include Nelly Furtado, 50 Cent, Rihanna, Kanye West, Foo Fighters, Timbaland, Fall Out Boys, Common and more. There are also the awards, of course. Up for video of the year are Beyonce ("Irreplaceable"), Justice ("D.A.N.C.E."), Rihanna ("Umbrella," with Jay-Z), Kanye West ("Stronger") and Amy Winehouse ("Rehab").

"Curb Your Enthusiasm," 7 p.m., HBO. Larry David is back and he's still portraying himself as thoroughly inept at human contact. He has a scheme to skip parties by arriving a day late. He also reluctantly agrees to his wife's plan to house a family that lost its home in a flood. Things soon go wrong, in very funny ways.

OF LOCAL NOTE

"Design Star," 9 p.m., HGTV. The last two competitors in the popular HGTV series "Design Star" showcase their talents — or bad taste, you decide — in the series finale, shot in Waikiki in April. Todd Davis, a 34-year-old San Francisco athlete and surfer, and Kim Myles, a 33-year-old New York City hairdresser, are competing for a starring role in their own HGTV show. The judging panel, which features designers Vern Yip and Cynthia Rowley as well as In Style executive editor Martha McCully, will critique the efforts of the finalists.

OF NOTE

Football, all day. After one early game Thursday, the pro season gets rolling. You'll find one game on CBS (7 a.m.), two on Fox (7 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.) and then the New York Giants at the Dallas Cowboys at 2 p.m. on NBC; "Football Night in America," with highlights and previews, is at 1 p.m. on NBC.

"Tell Me You Love Me" debut, 6 p.m., HBO. We meet lots of troubled couples and their therapist (Jane Alexander). She's interesting, but the others are difficult to like or care about. The show's sex and nudity will attract some, but it's not the lyrical sort that viewers might prefer.

"State of Mind" season-finale, 6 p.m., Lifetime. James must house his aged father.

"Alive Day Memories," 7:30 p.m., HBO. Beautifully crafted and deeply emotional, this is a superb documentary, but a painful one to watch.

"The Simpsons," 8 and 8:30 p.m., Fox. In the first rerun, Homer is a volunteer firefighter. In the second, Marge is obsessed with a video game.

"Meet the Fokkers" (2004), 8 p.m., ABC. "Meet the Parents" was a clever comedy, with Robert De Niro as the future father-in-law any guy dreads. This sequel is often blunt and rarely funny, despite Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman as Ben Stiller's parents.

"Cold Case," 8 p.m., CBS. A nurse confesses to six "mercy killings."

"Shark," 9 p.m., CBS. A serial-murder suspect becomes his own lawyer in this rerun.